Ankara to control Assad’s largest barracks

Turkish troops positioned along Syria’s Darat Izza, Qalaat Samaan, Salwa and Freika line will soon also be deployed in the al-Dayf Valley.

This will result in the Bashar al-Assad regime’s biggest barracks being taken over by the Turkish military, and it will be administered by Ankara.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) on Friday said that it began establishing observation posts in Idlib to monitor de-escalation zones that aim to bring an end to the six-and-a-half-year conflict.

The operation in the northwestern region was launched under a deal between Turkey, which backs groups opposed to Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime, and Russia and Iran, who support Assad.

The de-escalation zones have been created to “enhance the effectiveness of the ceasefire, end conflicts, bring humanitarian aid to those in need [and] establish the necessary conditions for the return of those displaced.”

Turkey’s latest military mission follows Operation Euphrates Shield, which saw the Free Syrian Army (FSA), backed by Turkish forces, clear Daesh from territory in northern Syria between August 2016 and March 2017.